The Callahan Report: Skinner and Gordon should shine at Sears Point

SONOMA, CA--The stars of NASCAR head to Sears Point
Raceway this weekend.
Twice each year, these heroes of speed head to the road courses to display
their braking and cornering skills. It is an exciting departure from the
already action-packed oval track racing season.

Mike Skinner, who has been knocking at the door to victory lane for the
past
two seasons, could finally find the key this weekend. Skinner had the
road
race at Watkins Glen in his back pocket last year, only to see his lead
gobbled up by the ever-dominant Jeff Gordon in the waning laps of the
race.
Skinner is smarter than he was last year. He learns more about his
competition each time he takes to a track on the NASCAR circuit. Sears
Point could mark the first points-paying victory for the likeable
Skinner.

Skinner will be threatened, but his challengers should be few. His team
has
to have a perfect weekend in order to win this race. Skinner's team, led
by
Crew Chief Larry McReynolds, is more than capable of pulling off an error
free performance.

One of Skinner's biggest challengers will be the defending champion at
Sears
Point, Jeff Gordon. The three time Winston Cup champion has the best
all-around driving skills in all of NASCAR. Year after year, Gordon
impresses the fans and racing veterans with his capabilities. Gordon
thrives on the challenges presented by a road-racing course. His team
rises
with him to the challenge. Expect more of the same from Jeff Gordon and
the
Rainbow Warriors this weekend at Sonoma. Gordon has all that is required
to
take back-to-back wins at Sears Point.

There are tracks that fit the styles of some drivers better than others.
Bobby Hamilton, normally known for his short track skills, is especially
good on road courses. He knows how to brake appropriately, to move
through
the pack. Hamilton attacks road courses like he attacks Martinsville, a
track where he has been a proven winner. He finished second to Gordon at
Sears Point last year. Brakes are precious. Hamilton will use his
talent
of "calculated abuse of brakes" to be a front runner at Sears Point. He
may be all the way in front.

Bobby Labonte continues to be "on-a-roll." The 35-year-old veteran from
Texas has won twice in the last three weekends. He is not too shabby on
the
curves either. Labonte proved his skills last year at Sears Point with a
ninth place starting spot. He charged to a third place finish. Expect
his
team to play a big part in putting Labonte towards the top this weekend.
The Joe Gibbs Racing Team is proving to be one of the masters at getting
the
best from everyone within the organization. Jimmy Makar, the crew chief
for
Labonte, received much of the credit for Labonte's recent success. With
the
team approach and Labonte's driving skill, it would not be a surprise to
see
Bobby grab a third win in four weeks.

Another driver who knows how to move through traffic on a road course is
Mark Martin. The red, white, and blue colors of the Valvoline car could
easily be in victory lane come Sunday afternoon. Martin impressed
everyone
with his performance at Sears Point a year ago. He bull-dozed his way
from
26th starting spot to finish in 6th. Based on that performance, Martin is
also considered a favorite at Sonoma.

Another well known hard-charger on the road courses is Rusty Wallace. He
is
still sore from the big bump he took at Pocono last weekend, but great
drivers tend to put their pain behind them when the green flag drops.
Wallace can be a threat to win on a road course, no matter where he
starts.
Last year for instance, Wallace started this race from the 28th spot on
the
grid. He was ahead of almost everyone at the end with a fifth place
finish.
Wallace is a strong favorite in the California sunshine Sunday.

For a dark horse pick, look to sophomore Kenny Irwin. He has had moments
of
greatness this year that were overshadowed by controversy. He finished
third at Daytona only to be scrutinized by the media for a close call with
his teammate, Dale Jarrett. Irwin is looking for another strong finish at
Sears Point this year, to follow up on his ninth place finish in 1998.
Irwin is a young man with talent on the curves.

The NASCAR teams take the green flag at 4:00 p.m. Sunday. The race will
be
televised live on ESPN.